Death and Life

My step-dad died today.  He was 60 years old and died from smoking and drinking.  He was an alcoholic.  He drank heavily my entire life, but he was a happy drunk, so no one really thought of him as having a "drinking problem".  He also started smoking when he was 16 and even when he had a tracheotomy, he kept smoking.

He has systematically pushed away every family member for the past 20 years.  His only friends were people he knew from the bar he hung out at. He lived pay check to paycheck in a small dingy apartment.  He had no pets.  He even asked for his kids not to be called when he was at the end.  The one friend that was left asked someone to reach out to me. I went to the ICU last night to find him completely sedated and on a ventilator.  He was "extremely agitated" according to the nurses so they had to bid his wrists and sedate him in an attempt to let his body rest and heal.

When I looked at him, there was no love left, only pity.  I felt sorry for him.  Can you imagine what it would be like to be at the end of your life and have no one. This was completely his choice. He chose smoking and drinking over everyone else in his life.  He chose not to be in contact with his kids.  His marriages failed. His life was, from my view, so empty.

Don't let this happen.  I want to scream this at everyone  Do not end up like this man.  Show the people around you that you care for them and love them.  Use your actions to show people they are important.  Do not choose the things of this world over the gifts God has generously given to you.  Don't be a fool like this man was and toss aside people who want to care about you.  Don't end up on your death bed alone.

~Katie